Clothes basket hanger

ABSTRACT

A hanger structure having trolley means removably engageable with a clothes line. Arms symmetrically disposed below the trolley structure for the balanced support of the basket. A support member depending from the trolley means extending downwardly past one side of the basket permitting unrestricted placement and removal of the basket over the oppositely located outer ends of the arms. A portion of said support member serving as a hand hold for the user. A clothes pin container is conveniently provided adjacent the last mentioned portion of the upright support.

United States Patent [191 Roloff [451 Sept. 25, 1973 CLOTHES BASKET HANGER [76] Inventor: Ronald T. Roloff, Rt. 1, Box 1760,

Eugene, Oreg.

[22] Filed: Dec. 15, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 208,182

52 us. Cl. 165/151, 1'05/152 [51] Int. Cl B61b 7/08 [58] Field of Search 294/67 A, 67 AA; 105/148, 150, 151, 152; 104/89, 90, 93,112, 113

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,026,816 3/1962 Russo 105/148 594,644 11/1897 McCorkile. 294/67 A 844,641 2/1907 Yeakel 105/150 814,933 3/1906 Bendickso'n 105/150 2,358,767 9/1944 Breslav 294/67 A Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-D. W. Keen Attorney-James D. Givnan, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A hanger structure having trolley means removably engageable with a clothes line. Arms symmetrically disposed below the trolley structure for the balanced sup- -port of the basket. A support member depending from 2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Pariminserzs pn INVENTOR. RONALD 1: ROLOFF BY AGENT 1 I 'crornns BASKET HANGER BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to a hanger structure for entrainment on a clothes line for the support of a v loaded clothes basket.

While the prior art, of which I am aware, discloses various arrangements for movably suspending clothes baskets from a clothes line such arrangements do not provide for uncomplicated placement or removal of the basket from the hanger structure. More particularly adjustable elements are usually provided such as straps or chain links which require that the housewife simultaneously support the clothes basket while attaching the adjustable elements. Further such prior art arrangements typically include several detachable parts all of which are subject to becoming lost or taken during periods when the device is not in use and left suspended from the clothes line. Further the adjustable elements suspending the clothes basket most usually hinder access to the basket in that the basket is suspended by at least two or more such elements.

Desirably a clothes basket hanger should be easily detachable from an outdoor clothes line to permit convenient removal and indoor storage to prevent the hanger from becoming an attractive nuisance to small children. Some of the prior art devices do not permit convenient removal nor are they of lightweight, unitary construction permitting the housewife to carry the hanger to and from the clothes line and entrain same thereon with a minimum of trouble.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is embodied in a clothes line hanger of unitary construction configures so as to horizontally support a loaded clothes basket in a manner allowing unhindered access to the clothes therein.

Supporting arms are provided to receive the clothes basket which is placed directly thereon'with no adjustments orbook engagements being necessary. Conversely removal of an unloaded basket is accomplished in-an equally convenient manner. Widely spaced apart trolley wheelsresist fore and aft tipping of the hanger even during those times when the hanger is being forcibly propelled along the' clothes line. For such hanger movement a vertical segment of the hanger framework constitutes a hand hold thus avoiding the'risk of the basket being accidentally dislodged. Adjacent said hand hold segment is a removably mounted clothes pin container located so as to permit convenient access.

The trolley portion of the present hanger provides for quick detachment from the clothes line which may be accomplished in a one-handed manner as it is simply necessary to lift the lightweight, tubular hanger and partially rotate same to a very small degree. Should it be desired to leave the hanger in place the same is designed so as not to provide a dangerous article attractive to small children. The lightweight, tubular construction with rounded comers and bumper provided ends contributing towards the safe nature of the device.

The objects of the present invention are believed apparent from the foregoing. Additional objects include the provision of a clothes line hanger of simplified construction lending itself to economic fabrication with a correspondingly attractive selling price.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the clothes basket hanger embodying the instant invention,

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the hanger,

FIG. 3 is a sectional plan'view of the hanger taken downwardly along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of trolley details taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein applied reference numerals indicate parts similarly identified in the following specification, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally the present hanger structure removably suspended from a clothes line L. v

The hanger structure 10 includes an elongate trolley base 11 located subjacently along the clothes line which base serves to mount a pair of trolley assemblies indicated generally at 12 and 13. The assemblies are identical hence the following description of one is equally applicable to the other. It is to be noted however, that said assemblies are oppositely orientated with respect to the base 1 1 to facilitate engagement and removal of the hanger from the clothes line. Each assembly as typically shown in FIG. 4 includes an upright plate member 14 secured to'the base 11 and extending upwardly to support a laterally projecting pin 15 which serves as an axle for a trolley wheel 16. A keeper 17 is secured to the outer end of pin 15 and serves to retain the wheel in supported entrainment on clothes line L. The opposite disposition of the plate members 14 and keepers 17 of each trolley assembly permits hanger disengagement upon lifting of the hanger 10 thereby elevating the keepers away from the line whereupon slight rotation of the hanger structure will disengage the trolley assemblies from the clothes line.

Depending from the trolley base 11 is an irregularly shaped support member 18 extending downwardly and outwardly from said base. Preferably said support member includes a substantially horizontal section at 18A. A downwardly extending section 20 of the support member 18 additionally serves as a convenient hand hold by which the user may urge the hanger along the clothes line in the direction of the applied arrow of FIG. 1. Section 20 of the support member serves to mount a basket holder 21 having pins at 22 of hook configuration to receive and hold a clothes pin receptacle 23. Importantly, support member sections 18A and 20 restrict undesired tipping or shifting of the basket.

Affixed to the lower end of support member 18 is an arm structure comprising basket receiving arms 24 having a common interconnecting portion 25. The arms terminate in unsupported, outer ends 24A to permit convenient reception of a loaded clothes basket into to the clothes pin receptacle 23 and whereat the upright section of the support member 18 may be conveniently grasped for manually urging the hanger along ahead of the user. As the hanger arm structure remains horizontally disposed at all times placement and removal of a clothes basket is I greatly facilitated as no prepositioning of the structure is required. The placement and removal of the clothes basket from the arms 24 is accomplished in a very convenient, unhindered manner with same being done over the outer ends of arms 24 with only slight lifting being required to clear the caps 26.

While I have shown but one form of the invention it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied still otherwise without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is desired to be secured under a Letters Patent is:

l. A clothes basket hanger of lightweight tubular construction for placement on a clothes line, said hanger having substantially the same relationship to the ground in a loaded or unloaded condition, said hanger comprising,

a pair of horizontally disposed arms for reception of a loaded clothes basket, said arms terminating outwardly within cap element located subjacent one side of the clothes basket with said cap elements preventing basket dislodgement,

a rigid upright support member of irregular shape terminating downwardly in supporting attachment to said arms medially thereof, said support member supporting said pair of arms in a horizontal manner in both loaded and unloaded conditions to facilitate basket placement on and removal from said arms, and trolley means carrying said support member and removably engageable with the clothes line, said trolley means comprising a trolley base, a pair of plate members projecting upwardly from said base on opposite sides of the clothesline and mounting wheel elements engageable with the clothes lines at spaced points therealong, each of said plate members additionally supporting a keeper in close proximity to the wheel element and to a segment of the clothes line, said keepers and said plates oppositely disposed above the centerline of the trolley base, said keepers terminating downwardly in spaced relationship to said trolley base to permit separation of the trolley means from the clothes line by manual elevation and partial horizontal rotation of the clothes hanger relative to the clothes line permitting horizontal outward swinging of the trolley means away from a supporting segment of clothes line. 2. The clothes basket hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein said upright support member mounts a transversely disposed holder for support of a detachable clothes pin receptacle. 

1. A clothes basket hanger of lightweight tubular construction for placement on a clothes line, said hanger having substantially the same relationship to the ground in a loaded or unloaded condition, said hanger comprising, a pair of horizontally disposed arms for reception of a loaded clothes basket, said arms terminating outwardly within cap element located subjacent one side of the clothes basket with said cap elements preventing basket dislodgement, a rigid upright support member of irregular shape terminating downwardly in supporting attachment to said arms medially thereof, said support member supporting said pair of arms in a horizontal manner in both loaded and unloaded conditions to facilitate basket placement on and removal from said arms, and trolley means carrying said support member and removably engageable with the clothes line, said trolley means comprising a trolley base, a pair of plate members projecting upwardly from said base on opposite sides of the clothesline and mounting wheel elements engageable with the clothes lines at spaced points therealong, each of said plate members additionally supporting a keeper in close proximity to the wheel element and to a segment of the clothes line, said keepers and said plates oppositely disposed above the centerline of the trolley base, said keepers terminating downwardly in spaced relationship to said trolley base to permit separation of the trolley means from the clothes line by manual elevation and partial horizontal rotation of the clothes hanger relative to the clothes line permitting horizontal outward swinging of the trolley means away from a supporting segment of clothes line.
 2. The clothes basket hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein said upright support member mounts a transversely disposed holder for support of a detachable clothes pin receptacle. 